Sean Willet / en Reforming Toronto's City Hall: Ā鶹ֱ²„app task force says don't overhaul system, just fix it /news/reforming-toronto-s-city-hall-u-t-task-force-says-don-t-overhaul-system-just-fix-it <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Reforming Toronto's City Hall: Ā鶹ֱ²„app task force says don't overhaul system, just fix it</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-06-28-city-hall.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=-4XyJBth 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-06-28-city-hall.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=7rG-kxs8 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-06-28-city-hall.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=VKh5J89b 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-06-28-city-hall.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=-4XyJBth" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-06-29T10:30:16-04:00" title="Thursday, June 29, 2017 - 10:30" class="datetime">Thu, 06/29/2017 - 10:30</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">A Ā鶹ֱ²„app task force recommends 14 steps to fix Toronto's City Hall (photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/noreen-ahmed-ullah" hreflang="en">Noreen Ahmed-Ullah</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sean-willet" hreflang="en">Sean Willet</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sean-willet" hreflang="en">Sean Willet</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Sean Willet, Noreen Ahmed-Ullah</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/urban" hreflang="en">urban</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/school-public-policy-governance-0" hreflang="en">School of Public Policy Governance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto" hreflang="en">Toronto</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A task force launched by Ā鶹ֱ²„appā€™s School of Public Policy &amp; Governance (SPPG) is recommending a practical blueprint to reform Torontoā€™s City Hall&nbsp;ā€“ one that calls for incremental changes, not a complete overhaul.</p> <p>ā€œThe task force debated whether we should go big or small,ā€ says <strong>Gabriel Eidelman</strong>, an assistant professor at SPPG, who helped organize the undertaking. ā€œWe landed on letā€™s be smart and sensible rather than blow up the system.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œCity Council is not functioning as well as it could, plain and simple. But the system is not beyond repair. What it needs is a push, and a sensible plan of action. Thatā€™s what weā€™ve delivered.ā€</p> <p>The task force's 14 recommendations include calling for an annual mayoral address to City Council in early spring to lay out strategic priorities focused on ā€œthe big picture, not ward-level grandstandingā€ and&nbsp;encouraging an annual, rolling review of local agencies, boards, corporations, and commissions. The report advises council meetings be capped at 12 hours per day and councillorsā€™ questions to staff be restricted to a single question period at the beginning of each council session.</p> <h3><a href="http://uoft.me/cityhalltaskforce">See full report</a></h3> <p>Task force members also urge a more welcoming atmosphere for deputations, including increased information for newcomers. They want City Council to&nbsp;delegate further responsibility and decision-making authority to community councils and focus instead on city-wide priorities.</p> <p>ā€œCity Council meetings frequently devolve into political theatre, which undermines public confidence,ā€ the report states. ā€œItems are too often amended ā€˜on-the-flyā€™ without staff analysis, leading to hasty decisions and wasted time and resources.ā€</p> <p>The task force hopes City Council will&nbsp;act on the&nbsp;recommendations soon since&nbsp;they don't require any provincial intervention.</p> <p>ā€œThese recommendations are about fixing the City of Torontoā€™s governance challenges. But the root issues they address are a familiar story for city councils across Canada struggling with efficacy, accountability, and transparency,ā€ said Associate Professor&nbsp;<strong>Peter Loewen</strong>, director of SPPG.</p> <p>Eidelman organized the task force along with urban public policy consultant Brian Kelcey, principal of State of the City.&nbsp;</p> <p>The task force is composed of:</p> <ul> <li>Former city manager <strong>Shirley Hoy</strong>, who is outgoing chair of Ā鶹ֱ²„appā€™s governing council</li> <li>Former city manager &nbsp;<strong>Joe Pennachetti</strong>, currently a senior adviser at Ā鶹ֱ²„app's Institute on Municipal Finance &amp; Governance and SPPG&nbsp;and a senior adviser at the Global Cities Institute and executive adviser to the World Council on City Data</li> <li>Former city councillor&nbsp;David Soknacki&nbsp;</li> <li>Former city councillor John Parker</li> <li>Adrienne Batra, press secretary to former mayor Rob Ford and currently editor-in-chief of the <em>Toronto Sun</em></li> <li>Western University Assistant Professor <strong>Zack Taylor</strong></li> <li>CivicAction CEO Sevaun Palvetzian</li> <li>Bianca Wylie, head of the Open Data Institute in Toronto</li> <li>Ange Valentini, chief of staff to former councillor Adam Vaughan</li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 29 Jun 2017 14:30:16 +0000 ullahnor 108796 at Ā鶹ֱ²„app research shows Canada is not immune to anti-immigration movements /news/u-t-research-shows-canada-not-immune-anti-immigration-movements <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Ā鶹ֱ²„app research shows Canada is not immune to anti-immigration movements</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-02-08-immigration-survey.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4ltB4Blm 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-02-08-immigration-survey.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=cC8mx-Ly 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-02-08-immigration-survey.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=lluOmN0R 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-02-08-immigration-survey.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4ltB4Blm" alt="Survey of protest"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-02-08T12:20:20-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 8, 2017 - 12:20" class="datetime">Wed, 02/08/2017 - 12:20</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Protest in downtown Toronto on Saturday against U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban on Muslims during the National Day of Action against Islamophobia and White Supremacy (photo by Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sean-willet" hreflang="en">Sean Willet</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Sean Willet</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/immigration" hreflang="en">Immigration</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/refugees" hreflang="en">Refugees</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/canada" hreflang="en">Canada</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/political-science" hreflang="en">Political Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/school-public-policy-and-governance" hreflang="en">School of Public Policy and Governance</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Ā鶹ֱ²„app's <a href="http://publicpolicy.utoronto.ca/">School of Public Policy and Governance (SPPG)</a> is part of a joint study that suggests&nbsp;Canadians are not exceptional when it comes to tolerance of refugees and immigrants, and that&nbsp;there is potential here for the same level&nbsp;of xenophobia experienced in Europe and the U.S.</p> <p>The study&nbsp;conducted with <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/misc/">McGill Institute for the Study&nbsp;of Canada (MISC)</a> and the firm Ipsos surveyed&nbsp;1,522 Canadians between Jan.&nbsp;18 to 27 ā€“&nbsp;before U.S. President Donald Trump announced his controversial travel and immigration restrictions, and the recent shootings at the Quebec mosque.</p> <p>ā€œWe know now we are not necessarily more enlightened compared to similar countries around the world,ā€ says&nbsp;<strong>Michael J. Donnelly</strong>, assistant professor of political science and public policy at Ā鶹ֱ²„app.&nbsp;ā€œIn fact,&nbsp;attitudes amongst Canadians suggest there is potential for the same kind of hate we see appearing elsewhere if we are not careful.ā€</p> <p>Donnelly initially looked at recent international public opinion research about immigration and refugees, and then he designed a Canadian poll to compare Canadian attitudes against other countries. The survey sought to answer three questions:</p> <ul> <li>Are Canadian attitudes unusual among a wider sample of wealthy countries?</li> <li>What do Canadians know about existing immigration policies, and what do they think of those policies?</li> <li>Are survey respondents restrained by pro-immigration norms from revealing their true attitudes?</li> </ul> <p>The study, <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/338667559/Canadian-Exceptionalism-Are-We-Good-Or-Are-We-Lucky-Michael-Donnelly#from_embed">ā€œCanadian Exceptionalism: Are we good, or are we lucky,ā€</a> finds&nbsp;that broadly&nbsp;Canadian attitudes are often assumed to be unusually pro-immigration. Canadians have what Donnelly describes&nbsp;as an ā€œimpressiveā€ knowledge of Canadaā€™s immigration and refugee system, and that most are satisfied with&nbsp;Canadaā€™s multiculturalist approach to immigration policy.</p> <p>But he does not believe that&nbsp;Canada's pro-immigration stance over the last half century is necessarily because of an exceptionally tolerant public.&nbsp;Canada is around average compared to Europe and the U.S. on issues like whether immigrants from poor countries should be accepted and whether the government should be generous in judging peopleā€™s applications for refugee status.</p> <p>About 45 per cent of survey respondents said&nbsp;they would oppose any policy that would end all immigration,&nbsp;19 per cent said&nbsp;they would support such a policy, but about&nbsp;35 per cent were undecided.</p> <p>ā€œThe publicā€™s tolerance does not seem to be what drives Canadaā€™s positive history of immigration and integration over the past several decades,ā€ Donnelly says.</p> <p>The study's results have been featured in&nbsp;the <em>National Post</em> with the data indicating a serious anti-immigration movement in Canada is not impossible.</p> <h3><a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/canadians-not-so-exceptional-when-it-comes-to-immigration-and-refugee-views-new-study-finds">Read the&nbsp;<em>National Post</em>&nbsp;story</a></h3> <p>Donnelly and<strong> Peter Loewen</strong>, director of SPPG and an associate professor of political science at Ā鶹ֱ²„app, have also&nbsp;penned an op-ed for the <em>National Post</em> on what this means for Canadian politics and its institutions.</p> <p>ā€œCanadian politics are not inevitably set to follow the rhetoric and course we see in the United States,ā€&nbsp;Loewen says. ā€œOur institutions, and particularly our leaders, have the ability to maintain norms of non-racism and inclusion ā€“&nbsp;remember, attitudes do not inexorably lead to policies and politics.ā€</p> <h3><a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/michael-j-donnelly-and-peter-loewen-canadians-feelings-about-immigration-are-mixed-at-best">Read the op-ed</a></h3> <p>The study also finds that a&nbsp;majority of Canadians think that immigrants are not well connected to society and that they harbour misconceptions about the number and education of immigrants.&nbsp;Loewen and Donnelly argue&nbsp;in the op-ed that politicians and the public have a role to play here:&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œ[Canadian] politicians and those selecting them have a responsibility to avoid xenophobic pandering and to reinforce the norms of behaviour that have allowed the Canadian model, for all its faults, to create the open, exciting and peaceful society we enjoy.ā€</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 08 Feb 2017 17:20:20 +0000 ullahnor 104623 at The U.S. elections: an insider's view from the outside /news/us-elections-insiders-view-outside <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">The U.S. elections: an insider's view from the outside</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2012-10-16T12:47:57-04:00" title="Tuesday, October 16, 2012 - 12:47" class="datetime">Tue, 10/16/2012 - 12:47</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Ambassador David Jacobson will speak about differences between U.S. and Canadian electoral systems, key states and races, and the impact of elections on Canada-U.S. relations</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sean-willet" hreflang="en">Sean Willet</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Sean Willett</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student-life" hreflang="en">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school" hreflang="en">Munk School</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Ā鶹ֱ²„app hosts American ambassador to Canada</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As the worldā€™s attention is focused on the Presidential Election in the United States, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada will be at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto to discuss <a href="http://news.utoronto.ca/understanding-us-elections">the election</a>, and its implications for Canada.&nbsp;</p> <p>On Tuesday, October 23, the Centre for the Study of the United States(CSUS)&nbsp;at the Munk School, and Fulbright Canada will present Ambassador David Jacobson, who will deliver a lecture entitled, The U.S. Elections: An Insiderā€™s View from the Outside.</p> <p>ā€œWeā€™re very&nbsp;pleased&nbsp;to host Ambassador Jacobson&nbsp;on the eve of the&nbsp;US Election,ā€ said <strong>Janice Stein</strong>, Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs. ā€œIt is&nbsp;a wonderful opportunity for our students. The Ambassador brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to a discussion about how the American political process&nbsp;affects&nbsp;the largest bilateral trade relationship in history ā€“ and with the prospect&nbsp;of a tight election race, this is the time&nbsp;to draw on that experience.ā€</p> <p>Ambassador Jacobson will address differences between the Canadian and the U.S. election processes; historical trends; polling; key states and races; and the impact of the elections on the bilateral relationship.</p> <p>The lecture, to be held at 12:00 pm in the Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility, is free and open to the public. However, as seating is limited, all guests, including those from the media, are required to RSVP to <a href="mailto:rsvp@fulbright.ca">rsvp@fulbright.ca</a> prior to the event.</p> <p>Operating in&nbsp;more than&nbsp;150 countries worldwide, the Fulbright program has long been regarded as the worldā€™s premiere academic exchange. With the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and the United States Department of State, Fulbright Canada is the gold standard for academic exchanges and intellectual opportunity. For more information: <a href="http://www.fulbright.ca">www.fulbright.ca</a>.</p> <p>Housed in the Munk School of Global Affairs, CSUS represents the largest collection of U.S.-focused scholars in Canada, as well as the greatest concentration of U.S. expertise in Canadaā€™s history. Drawing on the resources of the Munk School, and with more than 66 faculty affiliates, it has an unprecedented strength in U.S. expertise and in American Studies, both institutionally and nationally. For more information about CSUS and the Munk School of Global Affairs: <a href="http://www.munkschool.utoronto.ca">www.munkschool.utoronto.ca</a>.<br> &nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/Ambasssador-US_12_10_17.jpg</div> </div> Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:47:57 +0000 sgupta 4628 at TIFF and Ā鶹ֱ²„app's Munk School talk global film /news/tiff-and-u-ts-munk-school-global-affairs <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">TIFF and Ā鶹ֱ²„app's Munk School talk global film </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2012-09-14T08:55:51-04:00" title="Friday, September 14, 2012 - 08:55" class="datetime">Fri, 09/14/2012 - 08:55</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Ā鶹ֱ²„app experts lend their insights to TIFF audiences (image courtesy The Munk School of Global Affairs)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sean-willet" hreflang="en">Sean Willet</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Sean Willett</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/features" hreflang="en">Features</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/munk-school" hreflang="en">Munk School</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The Toronto International Film Festival is bringing together the worlds of film and education by partnering with the University of Torontoā€™s Munk School of Global Affairs on the Contemporary World Speakers series.</p> <p>This initiative pairs five films in the Contemporary World Cinema programme with expert scholars from the Munk School.</p> <p>During the festival audiences have the chance to interact with filmmakers and scholars in extended discussions, following each filmā€™s second public screening. Here, the films serve as springboards to facilitate a deeper understanding of film aesthetics in relation to the broader issues facing the world today. Speakers include<strong> Ron Deibert</strong>,<strong> Janice Gross Stein</strong>,<strong> Ron Levi</strong>, <strong>Brian Stewart </strong>and <strong>Michael Ignatieff</strong>.</p> <p>The series is programmed in conjunction with the TIFF Adult Learning department which&nbsp;provides students, teachers and the community with innovative exhibitions, presentations and hands-on workshops&nbsp;throughout the year.</p> <p>Since its inception&nbsp;30 years ago, the Festivalā€™s Contemporary World Cinema program has been home to some of the most relevant social, political and economic stories from around the world. The program continues to be a favourite of Festival audiences.</p> <p>In an article from the <em>Toronto Star</em> featuring the new partnership, TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey said, ā€œItā€™s going to be fun for everyone involved, in terms of just deepening and expanding the conversation around these films.ā€</p> <p>The Munk School's Ignatieff, echoed the sentiment.</p> <p>ā€œThis is where academics ought to be, right?" Ignatieff told The Star. "We ought to be breaking down barriers, sharing knowledge, and leading discussion.ā€</p> <p><br> TIFF Films and their speakers in the Contemporary World Speakers series:</p> <p><em>After the Battle</em> ---<br> Director: Yousry Nasrallah,<br> Country: Egypt/France<br> Premiere: North American Premiere<br> Mahmoud is one of the ā€œTahrir Square Knightsā€ who, on February 2, 2011 ā€” manipulated by Mubarakā€™s regime ā€” charged against the young revolutionaries. Beaten, humiliated, unemployed and ostracized in his neighbourhood near the Pyramids, Mahmoud and his family are losing their footing. It is then that he meets Reem, a young Egyptian divorcĆ©e. Modern and secular, Reem works in advertising, is a militant revolutionary and lives in a nice neighbourhood in Cairo. Their meeting will change their lives.</p> <p>Munk School Speaker: *Janice Gross Stein, Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and member of the Order of Canada, is an internationally renowned expert on conflict management.</p> <p><em>Clandestine Childhood</em><br> Director: BenjamĆ­n Ɓvila<br> Country: Argentina/Spain/Brazil<br> Premiere: North American Premiere<br> Argentina 1979. After years of exile, Juan (12) and his family come back to Argentina under fake identities. Juanā€™s parents and his uncle Beto are members of the Montoneros Organization, which is fighting against the Military Junta that rules the country. Because of their political activities, they are being tracked down relentlessly. His friends at school and the girl he loves, Maria, know him as Ernesto, a name he must not forget, his familyā€™s survival being at stake. This is a story about militancy, undercover life and love.</p> <p>Munk School Speaker: *Brian Stewart, Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs, is an acclaimed foreign correspondent and an expert on foreign affairs and the military.</p> <p><br> <em>Eagles</em><br> Director: Dror Sabo<br> Country: Israel<br> Premiere: World Premiere<br> Alienated from a society that no longer seems to have a place for them, two elderly ex-soldiers undertake a vigilante campaign against injustice and disrespect on the streets of Tel Aviv.</p> <p>Munk School Speaker: *Ron Levi, Director of the Master of Global Affairs at the Munk School, is an expert on global justice, and human rights regimes.</p> <p><em>Him, Here, After</em><br> Director: Asoka Handagama<br> Country: Sri Lanka<br> Premiere: North American Premiere<br> Returning to his community after defeat in the Sri Lankan civil war, a former Tamil rebel known only as "Him" faces hostility, suspicion and bitter recriminations in Asoka Handagama's beautifully elegiac meditation on the aftermath of war.</p> <p>Munk School Speaker: *Michael Ignatieff, Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs, is an internationally renowned writer, journalist, former politician, and expert on foreign affairs.</p> <p><em>Underground</em><br> Director: Robert Connolly<br> Country: Australia<br> Premiere: World Premiere<br> Set in 1980s Melbourne, Underground is a riveting thriller that focuses on the teenage years of one of the most controversial figures of modern times ā€”Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (newcomer Alex Williams in his first major role). The film follows Assange and his gang of close friends ā€”&nbsp; the International Subversives as they call themselves ā€” as they wage a battle from their bedrooms, trying to break into the computer systems of the worldā€™s most powerful organizations. In the process, they are forced to battle authorities and eventually one another. Written and directed by Robert Connolly, the film also stars Anthony LaPaglia, Rachel Griffiths and Callan McAuliffe.</p> <p>Munk School Speaker:&nbsp; *Ron Deibert, Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, is an expert and advisor on cyber security, cyber-crime, freedom of expression, and access to information.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/munk_tiff_12_09_14.jpg</div> </div> Fri, 14 Sep 2012 12:55:51 +0000 sgupta 4474 at